YONKERS, NY — July 31, 2018 — “No man, or woman, is above the law. It’s a core principle of our republic. But in New York that principle no longer applies. It must be made to do so again.

“In Andrew Cuomo’s New York, the governor hand-picks the ethics watchdogs. They, in turn, seem to show a blind eye to his constant misdeeds. The law doesn’t apply to Andrew Cuomo—not in his New York.

“The Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), led by a long-time Cuomo employee and loyalist, may have willfully ignored gross violations of state campaign and public officer’s laws by Governor Cuomo himself that were repeatedly brought to its attention by citizens, elected officials, and news reporters. No known investigation of this alleged criminality has been undertaken by the Manhattan District Attorney either. That’s wrong.

“The governor knew that his top lieutenant and campaign manager, Joseph Percoco, was illegally working out of the state executive suite at 633 Third Avenue in New York City for more than two months in 2014. Mr. Percoco was assigned an office directly adjoining the governor’s and given 24-7 security access and full use of state resources while there. Mr. Percoco made at least 837 calls over 68 days from the government phone—including 68 calls to Mr. Cuomo’s campaign headquarters—in clear violation of state laws. Mr. Cuomo admitted knowing that Mr. Percoco was there, incredulously suggesting that his campaign manager was packing things up from his office…for 68 days.

“I, along with others, have filed an Article 78 proceeding on behalf of New York taxpayers to get to the bottom of this. The Article 78 demands that JCOPE release documentation of what it did, or didn’t do, in investigating these complaints. I am also urging the Manhattan District Attorney to confirm whether an investigation of what occurred at 633 Third Avenue was ever opened or is ongoing. The public needs to know if the justice system is being applied evenly in New York.